Clocker Suspended Five Years For Posting Fraudulent Workouts; Trainers Sanctioned

Two Quarter Horse trainers and a clocker at Sam Houston Race Park have been fined and suspended by Texas Racing Commission stewards after an investigation determined that fraudulent workouts for at least 10 horses were entered into the Equibase system that documents workouts and racing results for both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing.

Clocker Tiffani Hebert was fined $5,000 and her license as a racing official was suspended for five years for “providing false information for publication” and violating the “duties of morning clocker.” The suspension runs from Feb. 24, 2018, through Feb. 23, 2023. Trainers Javier Contreras and Carlos Saldivar were each fined $1,000 and had their licenses suspended by stewards for 30 days for violation of commission rules regarding false statements and providing information to the racing commission. The commission’s executive director, using the authority granted to the position, has increased the sanctions to Contreras to equal the fine and suspension given Hebert: $5,000 and five years.

During a hearing before stewards, according to their ruling, Hebert admitted to entering fraudulent Sam Houston Race Park workouts into Equibase for 10 horses belonging to “multiple trainers” over several days in late December 2017 and early January 2018. Records show that none of the horses were on the grounds of Sam Houston Race Park. Two of the horses, Cowboyz Hotrod and Gamesaver, raced in Quarter Horse races at Louisiana Downs with the fraudulent workouts listed in their statistics.

Phone records indicated multiple telephone calls or text messages between Hebert and trainers Saldivar and Contreras. Contreras told Texas Racing Commission investigators he had made no contact with Hebert. Investigators were unable to contact Saldivar because his phone had been disconnected, according to the ruling.

Saldivar tied for leading trainer at the recently concluded Louisiana Downs Quarter Horse meeting with 23 wins from 128 starts. Contreras won 15 races from 60 starts during the Louisiana Downs meet.

According to the ruling, Hebert “accepted full responsibility for entering the workouts and acknowledged that she had engaged in activities that are detrimental to the best interests of racing and the betting public.”